Predator: Ancient World
by Bastet1023
Summary: When Egypt empire was at it's greatest, Predators come for a hunt, and like what they see in more ways that one.
1. New Prey

_Hey guys! This is a story by Amouthea and me. Hope you like it. First chapter is by Amouthea._

**Predator: Ancient World**

**Chapter 1: New Prey**

A faint tremble rolled through the sleek-form dark-metal vessel, red-band symbols illuminating the misty corridors. The other-worldly technology hummed to life as each chamber fell prey to the sharp blare of artificial light from above.

Du'gret awoke, along with the others reclining in slumber about the room. Eyes half open, the five unblooded Yautja rose to begin the long but necessary preparation for arrival on the planet not far off. Each hunter-to-be gathered up their vacant armor, thoughts dwelling on that which lay ahead of them. The urge to hunt livened both veins and minds. No longer sleep-tinged, they began conversing with one another, expressing ambitions and expectancies, most with much pride, although there were some which were more humble in their contentment, though not by much.

Bristling with excited chatter over the hunt-to-come, they left their hibernation alcove and headed to the docking bay where they would receive a quick brief on the approaching planet and its creatures of prey.

Grentou'se turned at the clatter of his approaching hunting party, eyes gleaming behind the silver mask of multiple insignias. He nodded at Ru'shan, the only other blooded warrior aboard the ship, gesturing for his friend to prepare himself for the onslaught of excitement from the inexperienced. Ru'shan too, grinned behind his marred helmet. _Lucky group..._he thought, facing the students as they entered the room. Very few got to hunt soft meat on their first hunt. He had not been one of them. There were rumors around the home world that as the soft meat, due to their fast increasing intellect, may soon become a forbidden hunting species for the young bloods. As popular as the rumors were, the chances of them becoming true were slim.

Du'gret listened carefully as his leader, who happened to be his father, discussed the planet's temperatures, geographical features and inhabitants. By Yautja standards, this particular prey was held in fairly high esteem; good trophies for impressing the females. _Well, most of them..._Du'gret looked out of the corner of his visor to eye Kat'rin. She stood straight and alert in the far corner of the room, disregarding all but the words escaping from her leader's mouth. She, unlike her fellows, was already adorned in her armor, all equipment checked, weapons cleaned and sharpened. She, perhaps more than the rest of them, desired to prove herself as an honorable warrior. Du'gret didn't blame her attentive manner or previously strenuous personal training. It was very rare for a female of their species to hunt. Although he had no doubt she was more capable than any of the other students.

"What do these creatures look like, leader?" Du'gret returned his attention to the powerful form before them at the student's question.

"That is something I will let you determine yourselves. I believe that each of you are capable of deciphering what is worthy prey. Am I right?"

An exuberant affirmative rattled off the walls.

"Now, finish with your armor," an approving nod at Ka'trin "We will be landing shortly."

* * *

Skipping down the remaining polished steps, Neferti raised a slender arm to steady the vividly painted water jug. It had almost slipped from atop her darkly-twined tresses that time. She was about five feet tall, with golden skin, painted with black designs, marking her as the Queen's personal handmaiden. Black eye makeup lined her amber eyes, making her eyes stand out even more. She smiled, gold-drenched sandals denting the sparkle-warm sand as she padded to the nearby river. The sun fell fresh and bright on her shoulders and back, a pleasant change from the cool, shadowed atmosphere of the palace. These small occasions were her favorite, having, at last, time to dwell on what she wished, mindful only of her own feet and troubles.

Humming lightly to herself, she slowed her pace to a more pleasing one, pondering the haps of the day. .Nothing too grand had occurred, yet she couldn't help feeling slightly anxious. While shaking out the colorfully woven rug that resided in her Mistress' bed-chamber that morning, Neferti had felt the passage of something indecipherable overhead. Looking out the window of the room, she could see nothing, save the jeweled brightness of the sky and the smoldering fire-sphere sun. But the air itself had seemed...disrupted. Like a bowl of water having a finger trailed through it.

Neferti looked up, half expecting something to be residing in the sky, watching her. But there was nothing. Not even a bird or a cloud to make a single ripple in the clear air. Shaking her head against any more unsettling thoughts, she returned her gaze to the pebbles and dust passing beneath her feet.

* * *

Du'gret kneeled down to examine the drifts beneath his feet once more. It had been the better part of one of this planet's days since he and his fellow Yautja had begun their individual hunting. He had yet to come across a worthy prey, let alone another living creature in all that time. Letting the handful of dust slip through his taloned fingers, the lone hunter stood up glaring at the tiny mound it made. _Nothing..._

_Was there even anything on this planet? Or did they accidentally land in and uninhabited region? _No, that kind of mistake was impossible. Grentou'se must have picked it for some reason or another, although the young hunter could by no means figure out why. He continued walking, the planet's single sun blaring against his scaled back. He silently wished there was a little more moisture in the air. But he had refrained himself from expressing his discomfort to any of his clan for fear of humiliation and presumed weakness.

"I wonder if the others have had any luck?"

He hoped he wasn't the only one who would be coming back empty-handed. _Not a single trophy..._

Growling in disgust, the aggravated Yautja took a few more steps, before pausing and turning. He opened his wrist computer to detect which way his ship was from his current position. South-west. No more than a couple of hours if he walked quickly.

But there was no trophy, ivory and polished, dangling from his belt. No mark of blood upon his mask...

He trudged further away from his ship and friends. He'd return before dark as planned; just wasn't ready to give up yet.

A soft hissing filtered into his mask suddenly. He spun around hastily to see where it came from. Nothing behind him, or to the left. A rapid rattling sound. _Where was it coming from?_ Once again he swiveled, although his helmet already relayed the vacancy of a three-hundred and sixty degree pangram.

_Great. My helmet's as faulty as I am..._

The young predator took a step forward, feeling the tips of a tiny brush-plant's fingers claw at his leg. He scanned it once more. There was no heat signature to be seen within its meager, alien mass. He made to take another step past it.

CRISH!

Du'gret heard the burst of movement from the brush not even half a second before he felt the sharp sting of penetration at the outer edge of his lower calf. He cried out in surprise before falling to the ground, wrists painfully buckling beneath his body's weight. Groaning, he freed his aching wrists and raised himself to his elbows. He let his eyes fall to his leg where the stinging had turned to a burning prick of pain.

The creature squirmed wildly against his grasp as he tugged it sharply from his leg. Writhing and hissing, it made to bite the offending hand.

Its head was crushed in the grip of Du'gret's other fist, tiny skull busting under the pressure. Its body hung limp from the hunter's hand for a moment, before he tossed it away, cursing. He examined the puncture wounds slowly. A thin trail of neon trickled down his leg and onto the dirt below.

_Foolish!_

Du'gret pulled out his simple medicomp. _Who knows what effect that creature would have upon his body? _At least he wasn't going to bleed to death any time soon. A faint smile played across his masked face as he applied a jelly-like substance to the tiny punctures. It wouldn't take long for the skin to grow over them. Tucking away his medicomp, he stood up and continued walking. No respectable hunter would turn back over such a trivial wound.

The sun was beginning to sink in the sky by the time the young hunter saw the structures in the distance. They were tall and foreboding even from his viewpoint. Du'gret smiled and quickened his pace, ignoring the haziness of his senses, the throbbing at his temple and ankle. _Finally!_ The possibility that some form of prey dwelled in those structures was high. _It looked like he wouldn't be an utter disgrace after all..._

It didn't take long to reach the outer perimeter of the fortress. There was a large river near by. He could detect heat-signatures beyond the walls.

Grinning and unsheathing his wrist blades, Du'gret took another unsteady step. He could feel his blood screeching in his veins, the thrill of the hunt surging through his body. His muscular frame began to sway more violently.

No! What was happening? His vision wavered for a moment.

_So close..._

The hunter raised his eyes longingly to the near-tangible fortress as he slumped to the ground. He had only a few moments to consider the possibility of the tiny cold-blooded creature having been poisonous before his eyelids dropped, and his thoughts were lost to darkness.

_Did you like it? I hope so! Don't forget to review!_


	2. The Fallen God

_Here's chapter 2 written by me, Bastet. Thank you all soooooooo much for the reviews! Read and enjoy!_

**Predator: Ancient World**

**Chapter 2: The Fallen God**

Neferti kneeled down on the West side the Nile River, her back to the sandy Sahara desert, known back then as the land of the dead. She took the elaborately decorated vase off her head and began to fill it with the cool blue water. On the East side of the river, children played happily, the men farmed their fields and the women assisted with all of the daily household chores.

Neferti smiled; she was luck that she was the Queen's personal assistant. Many slaves and servant slept in small crowded rooms and were dressed in simple linen loin clothes and chest veils. She, on the other hand, had her own personal quarters, next door to the Queen's and she wore expensive garments equal to what many nobles wore. She also had much lighter work that the other servants, such as fetching water from the Nile for blessing and its use for the rituals of the goddess Hathor. As long as she served her Queen faithfully, these privileges were bestowed upon her.

Neferti wiped away a stray hair and made sure that her eye makeup was not running from the occasional bead of sweat dripping down her face, using the Nile as a mirror. Neferti glanced upwards and saw something peculiar. Reflected in the sand dunes behind her was some kind of fallen form. Neferti turned around to see what it was. There _was_ something there. After a few seconds of staring at the object, Neferti was struck with realization of what the object was.

_A body...a human body..._

Neferti hid the water jug in the high reeds; many would steal such a thing if given an opportunity, and raced out into the desert towards the fallen form. After five minutes of sprinting, Neferti came close to the human body only to realize that, besides the vague humanoid form, the body wasn't in any way human.

The creature had reptilian-like skin, in various shades of green and yellow with black speckling. It was also exceptionally tall, about three heads taller than her. It wore strange black body armor, carried weapons, and wore a bizarre looking black mask. It reminded her of some of the masks the high-priests wore during rituals.

'_What is this thing?'_ Neferti thought. She had never seen anything like this before, and she had seen a lot of foreigners in the Queen's house, paying tribute to her.

It was motionless, and didn't appear to be alive. Neferti moved closer and knelt down by the body. She saw the ragged rise and fall of the creature's chest. She checked it over for wounds, not finding much, except for a small healing patch of skin near the creature's ankle, which looked like a _Urarus_ bite.

This creature was bitten by an _Urarus_, the sacred serpent of Ra. If it did not get healing attention soon, it would surely die. But would it be wise to take in such a creature?

Neferti heard a howling noise and her head shot up from the creature. Upon the horizon, a pack of jackals raced though the sands, ignoring her and the creature. Neferti looked down at the creature. Jackals were the symbol of the god of the dead, Anubis. Such an obvious sign from Anubis clearly meant something.

'_The creature must have the favor of Anubis, or the jackals would have come to devour him,'_ Neferti thought. Perhaps this creature was a god, fallen from the heavens. Neferti draped the figure with a small cloak she had tied around her waist and raced back to Thebes to get assistance. Her frantic running did not go unnoticed for long. Rashem, one of the Pharaoh's generals, and a troop of solders were patrolling the temple when they saw Neferti running towards them.

"Neferti, what troubles you?" Rashem asked, sensing her urgency.

Neferti quickly explained to Rashem about the creature and the sign from Anubis.

"Get a bark immediately!" Rashem called to his solders. Within a minute, the solders came with a bark, the slave-carried bed-like carrier that nobles used.

"Where is the creature?" Rashem asked.

Neferti brought the solders into the desert to where the creature still lay wrapped in her cloak. The solders were hesitant on getting close to the creature, but complied when they were given a harsh glare from Rashem.

"What should we do with it?" One of the solders said, once they had loaded the creature in the bark and closed the crimson curtains around it.

"Take it to my quarters. Let no one see it," Neferti answered for Rashem. "Stand guard over him, I will be there shortly once I fetch water for the Queen her water for blessing."

The solders took off towards the Nile; they would have to use a ship to cross the river and reach the Queen's palace. Neferti retrieved the water jug, filled it, and walked as quickly as she could towards the temple of Karnack.

"You are late Neferti. What slowed your journey?" Queen Tuya asked.

"Uh," Neferti didn't want to tell the Queen of her find with all of the other young priestesses around. It would be best to keep the creature a secret until they deduced its' purpose. "A traveler was in need of my assistance. I need to go to him now, mistress."

Neferti gave Tuya a meaningful look. Tuya nodded slightly. "You are excused Neferti, but I am expecting a more detailed story of this 'traveler' when I return form the daily ceremony."

Neferti bowed low to Tuya and left the temple, hoping to catch the boat Rashem was on.

* * *

All he felt was pain. One minute, he was burning up, the other he was freezing. Du'gret tried to move, but his body did not respond to his mind's commands. He drifted in and out of consciousness, unsure whether he was dead yet.

He felt his body being lifted from the ground. Had the Black Warrior come for him? He was laid down on soft fabrics and the burning sun of the planet was shut out. Du'gret sank back into the darkness, not sure of where he would wake up.

* * *

Neferti sat near the creature as the doctor and priestess worked on healing the creature. They had removed all of the armor on the creature except the arm bands, the creatures' loin cloth, and the mask.

The priestess chanted prayers to Selket, the goddess of scorpions and healing. The doctor had to reopen the wound on the creature's leg and rewrapped it with herbs to sooth the pain and draw out the poison. Hopefully the methods would work for the creature and restore it to health.

The priestess left after bestowing her blessing on the creature, and the doctor soon left as well, advising Neferti to continually put cool wet cloths on the creature's chest and injury to bring down the fever, being that its face was covered with the metallic mask.

Neferti followed the doctor's advice and even burned some incenses to the goddess Selket hoping to further earn the goddess's favor. There was a knock at Neferti's door.

"Enter," Neferti called.

Queen Tuya entered her room and strode towards the couch Neferti knelt by.

"The guards say there is a fallen god in here," Tuya said, laughingly. Her laughter stopped abruptly when she saw the creature.

"By Ra's glowing hand... What is that thing?"

"I'm not sure. Hopefully if it heals we will find out; it has been bitten by an _Urarus. _Neferti told Queen Tuya of her discovery of the creature.

"If it awakens, alert the guards. I don't want you to be harmed if it is a demon." Neferti nodded. Demons were a common problem in Egypt. They caused disease and pain. Neferti hoped that she had not lead a demon into the royal house.

Queen Tuya left Neferti to her thoughts. Neferti walked to her large window and looked out over the temples of Amun and his consort Mut, the lower part of the royal palace, and the large bazaar that took place in the streets of Thebes where you could buy literally anything from an exotic dress to a pet leopard, which Queen Tuya had two of.

Neferti's gaze drifted back to the creature or god or whatever it was. Hopefully it was friendly, but by looking at his armor and weapons, Neferti's hopes were not high.

_So, did you like it? I hope so! Please Review!_


	3. Awakenings

_Here's chapter three, fresh for Amouthea's and my minds. Thank you for all of the support and reviews for this story! Hope you like the chapter! This one is by both me and Amouthea!_

**Predator: Ancient World**

**Chapter 3: Awakenings**

When Du'gret awoke the pain had almost disappeared. His leg still ached, but it was not as bad as it had been. He opened his eyes to see that he was in a closed room. The whole room was blue in color, so he tapped the control on his wrist gauntlet, changing his eyes to see color.

The room he was in was rather large. Colorful painting decorated the walls showing creatures making offerings to even stranger creatures. He was lying on a small, but comfortable couch. A bandage was wrapped around his leg, and his armor and weapons were gone. Du'gret pulled himself into a sitting position.

'_Where the pauk am I?'_ Du'gret thought. Last time he remembered, he had passed out in the desert, on the outskirts of the strange alien city.

His head spun at the sound of water. His throat was dry and scratchy. He stood slowly, but no dizziness overtook him. His slowly put weight on his leg, which managed to hold it quite well. He walked slowly around crimson curtains until he saw a small, pale creature with a jar of water it was filling from a large basin filled with water.

The creature turned. When it saw him, it let out a high pitched squeak and dropped the clay jar which shattered on the ground. It stared at him warily, as he stared back at it. It spoke to him, which his mask promptly translated.

"_Hello."_

Du'gret looked the creature up and down. If he had to guess, he thought it was a female. Not wanting to frighten it, he approached slowly and gently rested his hand on the creature's shoulder, the Yautja symbol of greeting.

The creature relaxed and began to speak again.

"_Would you like a drink?"_ The human got a small cup and filled it with water from the basin and held it out to Du'gret. Du'gret accepted it hesitantly, but his thirst overwhelmed him. He reached up to his mask, disconnected the cords, and removed it.

The little creature gasped and fell to the ground when it saw his face. Du'gret ignored it. Many creatures did that when they saw the Yautja's fierce appearance. Du'gret drank the water the creature had given him as he waited for it to awaken.

After a few minutes the creature awoke. Du'gret had put his mask back on. The creature stood up and pointed to itself, saying a word.

"_Neferti"_

Du'gret repeated the word and the creature clapped its hand together. Du'gret pointed to himself and said his name. The creature tried to pronounce it, but was not very successful. The creature paused then pointed at him and said a word.

"_Anubis."_

Hmmm. Du'gret liked that name, and at least the creature could pronounce it. The creature moved towards him and lead him to a small doorway covered with crimson curtains. The creature pulled back the curtains and Du'gret was greeted with an amazing sight.

He was in the middle of the creature's city. Huge monuments were everywhere as the creatures went upon their daily business. Du'gret was amazed that such inferior creatures could make structures like these.

With a little persuasion, he followed the little creature in a hesitant, albeit captivated manner through its golden-splendor city of sand, heat, and a vastly growing crowd of onlookers.

_I wonder what these creatures are called?_

* * *

King Seti I gazed up at the near-finished jewel-bedecked emblem of Set with a small smile. The crimson of the God-statue's head gleamed brilliantly beneath the sun's piercing rays, stood out among the dusky-dull backdrop of sand dunes.

Nodding to the man who had insisted upon his royal approval before adding more such delightful hues to the stone-folds of the monument's apparel, Seti I lowered himself back into the fine-soft linen seat of his chariot. The pristine horses began trotting at a pleasant pace back to the only-just completed temple of Osiris. With much luck and only, hopefully, a small amount of persuasion on his part, Egypt would once again recognize these "old Gods" as the entities truly deserving of their worshippers.

After all, he, along with his son Ramses II were both growing tired of red-haired (and furred) discrimination. According to popular belief, all those endowed with blood-hued locks or fur were automatically considered accomplices to the ancient God Set. Which was not a good thing. It meant bad luck. Bad seeds. Better off dead. Another untidy shadow-muck superstition associated with his personal favorite God. One that _would _be put to an end.

He hoped.

Shaking his crown-adorned head, the Pharaoh turned his thoughts to his wife Tuya.

_Now there was a pleasant thought..._

* * *

Du'gret paused at a make-shift structure lining the large and popular pathway the small creature called 'Neferti' was escorting him through. The ragged-thin drape of a roof lifted lightly with the tiny breeze that was currently skipping past the city. It caused a soft ruffle of a sound, which was soon muffled with a loud hiss of steam.

Curious at the strong smell of a smoldering substance, the young hunter approached the bent-over creature from behind, soundlessly looking over the already much-lower shoulders. A trough filled with the planet's water was rolling with bubbles as they sped to the disrupted surface. The scent of a heated substance melted away. Du'gret stepped back as the creature bending over the water stood up straight, pulling something long and dark out of the trough.

* * *

The blacksmith raised the sword-blade from the cooling vat to eye its edges carefully. One had to be careful of uneven thicknesses within the metal, especially when preparing a weapon. A balance had to be found so that the blade itself could glide through the air without even a sound-swerve detection. Thin-sharp and deadly-swift. Especially when it would be going into the hands of prince Ramses II...

Amun turned around cradling the sleek blade in both palms, still testing the evenness of its weight with masterful hands. Eyes locked upon the dim-reflection surface, he smirked, unconsciously walking over to scrutinize the gems that were to be embedded in the hilt. _Yes. Perfect! _He raised his eyes.

And dropped the blade.

* * *

Du'gret watched the creature (far larger than Neferti) pull a long pointed strip of metallic substance from the water once it had calmed somewhat. He noted that the creature seemed to know about this particular metal's properties as it tested both durability and thickness with its hands. Stepping back, he watched the creature turn, rolling the primitive blade in its palms to feel for imperfections in its weight. The creature seemed to reach a satisfactory conclusion because it finally raised its eyes and saw the Yautja standing before him.

Ignoring the creature's personal symphony of gasps and mumbles and grunts, none of which his mask was deciphering as legible words, Du'gret bent down to pick up the surprise-discarded blade from the dust. With one hand he lifted it, giving it a faint toss in the air and letting it roll back into the niche of his large palm. His elongated nails made crisp clinks against its surface.

With a practiced ease, the predator twirled the blade over the back of his hand, rolling it through the air in one mute-swift motion. He watched the silver-spin arc of movement closely, the glint of sunlight passing as a mere line over the surface. Then, grasping the blunt end, he brought it to a halt and lowered it so that the tip was gleaming fearfully at the sand beside his feet. It was a decent-forged blade, despite its alien clunkiness...

He motioned for the creature to take it, and held it out to it. Afraid or confused, or both, the creature hesitated, but seeing the blatant gesture for what it was, it retrieved the blade from Du'gret with a rapid incline of its head. It pulled the metal-strip to its chest, staring at the towering young hunter for quite a while before finally letting its eyes fall to something beside the warrior. Du'gret looked down at his right shoulder to see Neferti. She was smiling at the other creature, perhaps a soothing gesture for uneasiness. The man seemed to recognize her and began to speak.

* * *

"Neferti. What...who is that?"

"A friend, Amun."

"Where did it..."

"He."

"...He come from?"

Neferti smiled. She was enjoying explaining the God's arrival. "The sky, of course."

"The sky? How do you know?"

A tiny wind-chime chuckle. "Isn't that where all Gods come from?"

"God?"

"His appearance has misled you? Would you like me to introduce you to him?"

"O...Of course!"

She placed a delicate hand on Du'gret's arm. He looked down at her again. "Anubis, this is another friend of mine. His name is Amun." She pointed to the larger creature holding the blade. Du'gret nodded to the other creature, in both acknowledgment and respect for its skill with metal.

Amun bowed by folding himself in half. His eyes never left the living God who had swung his very own blade. He hoped that the ancient God of Death had found no faults in it. He asked the Queen's handmaiden of their destination without looking at her.

"To see the Pharaoh."

_Did you like it? I hope so! Please Review and we'll post chapter 4 soon!_


	4. Royalty

_Hey guys! Another update! Hope you enjoy! By both Amouthea and me!_

**Predator: Ancient World**

**Chapter 4: Royalty**

After the encounter with the weapon-maker, Neferti lead Du'gret through many deserted corridors; their destination, Du'gret did not yet know.Each hallway was decorated with colorful wall carvings and paintings, not to mention many stone statues of a variety of creatures.

Upon going around a corner, they encountered another creature, female, who was dressed in very elegant garments. The creature gave a small squeak and jumped backward. Neferti said something to the female, who calmed considerably. Du'gret eyed the new creature, intently; it seemed to hold itself higher than Neferti, as if it was a leader.

Perhaps it was, but Du'gret had not been with these creatures long enough to tell.

* * *

"It is alright Mistress. Anubis will not harm you," Neferti said to Queen Tuya. Tuya had seen how large the creature was before, but never fully understood its height.

"Anubis?"

"That is the name I gave him; his real one is difficult to pronounce."

"He is... peaceful?" Tuya asked. She had seen the weapons he had been found with.

"Yes, and I think he may be a warrior. I introduced him to Amun, and he seems to have much skill with a blade."

"I see. Well, I have informed Seti of his arrival, and he wishes to meet him as soon as possible. We should go to him now; he is with Ramses in the throne room."

Queen Tuya led the two through the hallways and into the throne room. The large room was empty save for two people: Pharaoh Seti I and Prince Ramses II. The two were dueling with small, hatchet-like battle axes.

"Keep your grip tight on the shafts. You don't want to lose them in combat," Seti admonished his son. Ramses grabbed one of the axes from the floor where Seti had batted it out of his hand.

Ramses was tall for his age of sixteen. He had burgundy hair, a mix of his father's red and mother's black, which hung in a lock on the right side of his head. It would be removed on his seventeenth birthday, when he was initiated into the right of adulthood. His grey eyes were intense with concentration as he leapt to begin a new fight.

Ramses swung low with one axe, feinting an upper cut, and swung the other high. Seti dodged the high swinging axe, blocked the low one, and countered with a jab to the stomach. Ramses leapt back and raised the axes to defend as his father came at him.

After a few swings and blocks from both sides, Ramses stumbled and was caught of guard by his father who batted Ramses axes aside and brought one of his own up to Ramses cheek.

"Good show son, but you need much more work before you can beat me," Seti said to his son with a smile. Ramses smirked and was about to answer when he looked past his father.

Ramses' eyes went wide, "Father..."

* * *

Du'gret watched the two males duel with interest; one seemed young and inexperienced, while the other was obviously an experience veteran. When the battle was over, the young one noticed him first. The older one spun to face him.

The older creature stepped back and addressed one of the females. The female answered and the two males bowed low to Du'gret, the older one saying something about Du'gret being the most revered god. Du'gret didn't understand the creature actions; why were they bowing to him? Was it some sort of greeting?

The older male stepped forward and spoke. Du'gret's mask translated, "_I welcome you to my house, great god of the dead. What do you wish of me?"_

"_Great god of the dead? What does that mean?"_ Du'gret thought. Did they think he was a god? Du'gret decided to take advantage of the creature's offer and he asked a question that his mask translated.

"Where am I?"

"You are in the great land of Egypt, my lord," Seti answered the god.

* * *

Grentou'se stalked up the docking strip to the sleek liquid-night ship, two freshly skinned skulls dangling from his belt. It had been a pleasurable hunt of racing veins and fear-tinged screeches. Alien alloy clashing against this planet's own metals, advanced and primitive weapons colliding with fury. He paused to trace a talon along the blackened eye-socket of one of the ivory glimmer skulls. Its jaw hung open, revealing pearly incisors. Giving a silent battle cry even in death.

It seemed that these creatures had become a little more resourceful since his last visit. More articulate in battle stances, vision detecting that which it had never before. Interesting.

It failed to frighten him in the least, rather, it stirred positive thoughts of tomorrow and future hunts.

He stepped inside the large vessel, nodding to Ru'shan who sat in one corner, polishing a large skull of his own. Even without existing heat, the leader could tell it wasn't human.

"Good hunt?" Grentou'se inquired, stepping past the other blooded warrior, and friend.

"A little left to be desired. I aim for an Ooman tomorrow." He looked up from his trophy to admire those dangling from his comrade's waist. "I see you had no trouble locating one. Two." He grinned in recognition of pride over the skulls. "How do you think our students are faring?"

Grentou'se chortled deeply within his throat. "We will see shortly. This planet's sun sinks fast. It will not be long before they return with their findings." He took the skull with the agape jaw and placed it on his trophy rack, scratching at a fleck of dirt that had collected on the buffed surface. "Or shamefully devoid belts and embedded curses..."

The two Yautja laughed, remembering their own first hunts, and the troubles and triumphs that tagged along.

* * *

"Are there more of you, my lord?

Du'gret turned in the direction of the honeyed voice, mask optics peering down at the female beside him. Her golden arm-bands glittered as she walked, sending sparkling flecks bounding off the floor tiles with each movement. Queen Tuya looked up at the death-god expectantly, dark eyes flickering with curiosity.

The young Yautja paused for a moment, wondering at her words. His helmet had quickly translated the question, leaving him more than a little confused in the response department. Should he tell her? It wasn't like these creatures could do much harm. They seemed strangely peaceful, as a matter of fact. From what he had determined thus far, their lives were focused around these 'gods' they held in such high esteem. He mused at their reverence towards him, and found himself enjoying such awe-struck treatment vastly. Would the others appreciate it as well?

Wasn't it forbidden to provide prey with proof of their existence?

Yes. That was a certainty.

But, could these creatures be considered a species of prey?

Perhaps. Very unlikely.

He had taken note of the mock-battle between the two royal males. He had to admit he was somewhat impressed. Maybe a select few could be considered as such.

He returned his gaze to the females padding alongside him. The one who had addressed him moments ago was looking up at him with her long eyes, facial features in a snit of curiosity. How odd that the females were less formidable than the males in this particular species. He was sure a mere grasp would shatter the fragile frames of the ones at his arms. So delicate.

No, it would be a jest to call these creatures worthy prey.

* * *

"Yes."

Queen Tuya looked up at the god once more, a smile playing across her soft lips. She was afraid he might have deemed her unworthy to speak to. It had taken him a long while to respond. Did she sense a tint of hesitance behind his answer? Why would a god have reservations about his words?

"Will they grace us with their presence as well?" Neferti sputtered, spinning on her heel to walk backwards, so that she could face the god as he strode beside her.

Du'gret stared into the long-lashed, kohl-lined amber orbs alight with hope. He found himself wondering the same thing.

"I do not know yet, Neferti." He watched her eyes widen with pride at the use of her name. How easily pacified these beings are...

He would need more time to think upon the subject. To play out presumably anticipated reactions and outcomes in his mind. He ran the tips of his talons along the skin of his palms.

What would Grentou'se's reaction be?

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	5. The Bitter Truth

_Hey people! Here's chapter 5! Hope you like it! Thank you for all of the reviews!_

**Predator: Ancient World**

**Chapter 5: The Bitter Truth**

Kat'rin nodded at Grentou'se as she stalked up the walkway to the craft, a skull polished and looking feeble against her palm. Arms crossed, her leader lounged beside the doorway, inspecting his students as they walked by. Along with Kat'rin, it seemed that two others had been fortunate in their hunts during the day. The rest eyed their peers' trophies through envy-tinged optics, and made their way back to their original sleeping chamber in silence. Ru'shan watched them progress through the bowels of the craft thoughtfully, and with considerable understanding. _And familiarity. But they did not need to know that..._

"Ru'shan."

The younger of the two teachers turned to his senior companion. He took note of the bewildered expression residing upon the stern face, the marred helmet clasped in the large palms.

"Yes, Grentou'se?"

The older one relinquished his gaze from outside the doorway to look Ru'shan in the eyes.

"Have you seen Du'gret enter? I have not." He looked around once more in wonder.

"Neither have I." The younger of the two cast a sidelong glance outside, where the shadows stretched long and talon-like across the brittle ground. He grinned. "He must have been lucky..."

Grentou'se paused for a moment, as if in thought, before returning the expression. "I suppose we shall see..."

Ru'shan shrugged. "The question is, do we want to? Knowing him, I mean..."

Kat'rin looked up from hanging her trophy on her rack at the sound of her mentors' laughter. _What were they talking about? Something about Du'gret..._She smiled faintly behind her newly brandished mask. She hoped he'd returned soon. _He always had something... interesting... to explain or display._

* * *

"My Lord, you seem troubled..."

Du'gret glanced briefly at Neferti before staring at the sky once more. The air now hung dark and chilly over the quieted city, the only light dripping off the thin moon in beams and filtering through the sheer curtains of the windows.

_All of the others would have returned to the ship by now...And Grentou'se would begin to wonder at his absence. But what would he say upon his return? He had no trophy, no hunt to describe, nothing, in fact, to show for the events of the entire day. Even the miniscule wounds at his ankle were healed over by now..._

Deep in thought, the young hunter sat with his back straight against the wall, arms at his sides. The small plate on the slender table in front of him remained untouched. Neferti set her intricate goblet down to stare at the mute god. _Perhaps he didn't eat mortal food...After all, the nutrients of the immortals had to be so much more refined than even the most proclaimed of eaten delicacies._

She smiled at her god-friend meekly. "I suppose it is not what you normally dine on. Correct, my god?"

Du'gret turned at her question in curiosity. _Was she referring to the items on the table? No, they were nowhere near what his usual meal would be._ But the dishes in front of him did not smell unpleasant. He casually picked up a strange looking gourd and bit into it. The sweet nectar slid down his throat, and he found that he did have an appetite after all. He picked up something else, and turned to the small creature beside him. She no longer flinched at his unmasked face.

"Yes, I have never eaten such things before."

She raised the glass to her lips and drank, eyes trained on his movements. He seemed to be enjoying the food, now that he was eating it, but still appeared to be slightly troubled_. What beneath the heavens could cause him such unease?_

"Do you have to return soon?"

Du'gret flinched slightly at the verbosity of the blunt question resounding within his own skull. He mentally chided himself. _It wasn't like he had a choice!_

"Yes."

The predator watched her face fall slightly, but she quickly covered it with a quizzical glance in his direction.

"You will return? I mean...it would please us all if you chose to, my Lord."

"I do not know." He picked up another gourd.

"My Lord?"

A side-glance in her direction.

"What was your purpose for visiting? I...I assume you must have fulfilled whatever notion brought you here?"

"No."

Neferti looked into the face of her god, puzzled. "You have not? Lord Anubis, if there is anything I...we can do to help you achieve..."

Du'gret looked down at her half-amused. _How would she react to an explanation of his requiring worthy prey? Especially when the only ones who could be considered as such appeared to be her leader and an heir to the position..._

"No. There is nothing you can do. I must return to my sh...to the other 'gods' soon."

"That saddens me. I hope that you have enjoyed your brief stay?"

_Very much, actually_. "Yes. I have enjoyed this day." The sky beyond the windows was void of any remnants of the planet's sun. The yautja stood up briskly. He would have to return with no trophy, but he refused to return any later than he already was. "I must go. Now."

"Will you need any transportation my Lord?" Neferti asked. Anubis seemed very on edge.

"No. I can go by my own means." Du'gret looked at Neferti, "I had many... objects with me. Do happen to have them?"

Neferti's face brightened, "Yes, my Lord. I can lead you to them." Neferti gently took Anubis's hand and lead him through the hallways, back to the room in which he had originally awoken. Du'gret found his weapons lay out on the couch. He gathered them quickly and followed Neferti out of the palace. They ran though the shadowy streets to the edge of the somewhat familiar desert.

"This is where we found you, my Lord," Neferti said gesturing to the desert. Du'gret had a locator installed on his left gauntlet which would show him the location of the ship.

"Thank you," Du'gret turned and began to walk out into the desert. Suddenly, the little creature called him back. Du'gret turned as she approached.

"My Lord, please take this." Neferti held out a small golden pendant which had an eye carved upon it with an arching brow and a small line and curl coming out from below the eye. The pupil was set with a beautiful black onyx and the rim was outlined with deep blue Lapis Lazuli gems. "It is the _Udjat_ eye; it will protect you." Du'gret carefully took the amulet from Neferti. He strapped the pendant around his neck and placed his hand on Neferti's shoulder.

"Hopefully, we shall meet again soon," Du'gret told the smiling human. He activated his cloak and raced off into the desert.

* * *

Grentou'se sat in the cockpit of the ship staring at the monitors for a long time. His son hadn't returned. Although he had lost many different family members in his life, he couldn't help but feel a tiny bit of remorse for his son. He didn't believe that his son was alive, but he had told Ru'shan that they were to stay on the planet one more day.

"Leader..." Grentou'se turned to see Ru'shan standing in the doorway. He looked anxious, "Du'gret has returned. He says he needs to speak with you immediately."

"Bring him," Grentou'se said, trying to hide his relief.

Ru'shan left, and Du'gret entered. Du'gret bowed his head appropriately. Grentou'se acknowledged the bow and spoke, "My son, where have you been?"

"Father, I have discovered something amazing," Du'gret's eyes were alight with excitement.

"What now?" Grentou'se was curious to what Du'gret was excited about.

"There are creatures on this world. Intelligent ones. They..." Grentou'se listened as Du'gret spoke continuously about these "creatures". Grentou'se believed that he knew what creatures Du'gret was babbling about.

Grentou'se held up a hand, stopping Du'gret in the middle of a sentence. "What did these... creatures look like?"

"They were small and pale." That fact confirmed that Du'gret was talking about humans.

"My son... those creatures you met. They are no new civilization. They are humans; the prey you were sent out to hunt."

Du'gret stared at his father in shock. Those creatures were his prey? It was not possible! They couldn't be. "But they can't be... they are too intelligent and weak to be prey."

"No. They are prey. Smart, cunning, dishonorable prey, Du'gret."

"But I have met them. They are not as we think."

"You met them?" Grentou'se questioned sharply.

"Yes. I was bitten by some poisonous creature and they found me and saved my life. They can't be prey."

"I assure you my son, they are prey. I cannot imagine what you were doing there. You should have killed yourself honorably or a least hunted the some of the beasts."

Du'gret felt rage welling up within him, "They are not beasts! They are intelligent, peaceful creatures that mean no harm."

"Watch your tone with me boy," Grentou'se growled, "and furthermore... what is that thing around your neck?" Grentou'se had just noticed the amulet that Neferti gave Du'gret. Du'gret pulled it off his neck and handed it to his father.

"They gave it to me. It is handmade I presume. The details are impressive; there are few Yautja that could make a piece that exquisite." Grentou'se examined the pendant carefully. For once, his son held a point; not many creatures could make something like this; especially if it was handmade.

"They though I was one of their gods," Du'gret said absently.

Grentou'se looked up at him surprised, "You... a god?" Grentou'se laughed loudly.

"They called me Anubis, after their god of death I believe. They seemed to be ready to bow down and worship me at any moment." Du'gret saw a flash of curiously behind his father's eyes and tried to draw it out. "If they thought I was a god, I wonder what they would make of the blooded warriors... or you."

"What are you trying to say?" Grentou'se asked his son, narrowing his eyes.

"You say these creatures are prey, with not honor. I disagree with that. Why don't we find out who is correct."

"And how would we do that?"

"Go back to their city and meet them. If you find proof of them being dishonorable, then I will admit my fault and hunt them." Although is father didn't answer immediately, Du'gret saw that he had him.

"How do you know we will not be attacked?"

"I have befriended their leader. They will cause us no trouble."

"And what of the others? I can't just leave them here."

"Bring them along. I think they will enjoy being worshiped, considering how highly they think of themselves... So, do we have an agreement?" Grentou'se smiled and put his hand on his son's shoulder.

"Agreed."

_Getting interesting now, isn't it? Please Review!_


	6. Return to Thebes

"_Here's chapter 6! Sorry for the LONG delay! Thank you all for the reviews! Hope you enjoy and Happy Holidays from us!_

**Predator: Ancient World**

**Chapter 6: Return to Thebes**

Neferti stood out on the balcony, looking over the Nile and deep into the Western Desert. Anubis had left a day ago, and already she began to miss him. He had told her that he hoped they would meet again, but what if that only meant in the Underworld, when she died.

Neferti sighed and glanced up at the shining full moon. She had just left a ceremony honoring the god of the moon Khonsu, son of the gods Amun and Mut. The moon's rays of light shined on the desert, creating eerie shadow over the sands.

Neferti turned to leave when something caught her eye; a flicker of the light or a subtle movement.

"_You are getting paranoid,"_ Neferti reprimanded herself mentally. She turned and walked swiftly into the palace, not looking back.

If she had looked back, she might have seen the nearly invisible figures approaching the city.

* * *

The eight Yautja grew anxious at the sight of the ooman city. Du'gret's tales had had many different reactions. His father and Ru'shan remained skeptical over the whole thing, but still interested; Kat'rin and Ani'de, a friend of Du'gret's, were highly fascinated; then the last three, Hun'ett, Brak'en, and Gek'lete just considered this another hunt, with a different twist.

As the group approached the gates of the city, Grentou'se called his son to his side.

"Exactly where are we going?" he asked quietly; he didn't need the students to know that Du'gret was pretty much leading the mission.

Du'gret gestured to the largest building in the settlement, "To their leader's home."

The group silently made their way through the settlement until they reached the large building. They slipped quickly though the doors and into the main entrance hall.

The Yautja were completely silent as they moved through the building. All the oomans appeared to be asleep; all but one.

* * *

Amun had just completed young Ramses sword. The gold and gem inlaid hilt sparkled in the moonlight and the blade shined in a silver glow rival to the moon's rays. Amun balanced the sword on his finger; the tang was holding the blade sturdily in the handle and it was perfectly balanced.

"Perfect," Amun whispered. He now glanced at the moon more carefully. He cursed when he realized how late it must be. He hid the sword in a compartment and walked out of the room with a yawn; he hadn't slept well since the god Anubis had come for a visit. Now that he seemed gone to the Underworld once more, Amun could rest easily.

Amun walked down the corridors toward his personal quarters; he failed to notice the form before him until he nearly ran into it. Amun's eyes widened when he saw that the god Anubis had returned; they widened even further when seven other gods appeared out of thin air.

"_I am never going to get a good night's sleep ever again,"_ Amun thought to himself.

* * *

"_The weapon maker,"_ Du'gret thought when he saw the lone figure walking down the hall. The other Yautja watched the approaching form warily, for he could not see them because of their cloaking.

"Do you know this creature?" Grentou'se asked his son quietly as possible.

"Yes," came his son's sure reply. The other Yautja regarded Du'gret in a surprised manner, "He is a weapon maker, and a decent one at that." Du'gret boldly stepped out of the shadows, gesturing for the other Yautja to do the same. He uncloaked right before the ooman.

The ooman stopped but made no sound or threatening gesture. Grentou'se gestured for the other Yautja to follow Du'gret's lead and uncloak. The little being's eyes grew wide at the sight of the other Yautja.

"_Please don't let it pass out like the Neferti did,"_ Du'gret begged silently to whatever gods were listening. That reaction would be a mark against them in his and his father's bet.

Du'gret held back a sigh of relief when the ooman merely went down on one knee and spoke, "My gods, you honor me with your presence."

Du'gret glanced at the other Yautja, they seemed very surprised and amused; that was a good thing.

Du'gret gestured for the ooman to rise. He spoke to it, "I have returned with my brethren. We wish to once again meet with the… king." The ooman, Amun he believed was its name, nodded and lead them down the hallway.

Du'gret turned to his group and asked, "Impressed yet?"

"This ooman is indeed brave, yet I have yet to determine if this creatures have honor," Grentou'se said, trying to hide his amusement in being referred to as a god. The unblooded Yautja chattered excitedly about the same; not surprising being that anything that increased their egos they always seemed to like.

Amun paused outside a room. He turned to the gods, "I will awaken the Pharaoh and the Queen, please stay here, I will wake Neferti to guide you to the throne room."

Du'gret smiled at the mention of Neferti's name; he had hoped to see her again.

* * *

Neferti rolled over and groggily raised her head, eyes squinting against the velvet darkness of her bed chamber. The knock came again. Surprised at the rapid, almost unsettled tempo of the rapture, she sat up and stepped across the chilly tiles to the door.

"Amun?" She peered up at the weapon-maker questioningly. His expression did nothing to lessen her sudden uneasiness.

"Neferti."

"It is not dawn yet. Why are you walking about at this time?"

The skilled smith smiled a bit crookedly down at the Queen's handmaiden and nodded down the shadowed hallway. "It seems your large, immortal friend has decided to return. And not alone..." He couldn't help the faint wave of relief at the sight of a large smile spreading across Neferti's face. She no longer looked drowsy. Perhaps there was no reason to fear these foreboding beings, if one as small as she could feel at ease in their presence. "I have informed the god Anubis that you will guide him and his brethren to the throne room."

Neferti darted into the shadows of her room to the small, intricately carved table beside her bed and lifted something from its surface. In less than a moment she was padding down the hallway after the large, receding form. Beaming, she raised her turquoise hand-mirror, catching a ghost of her reflection upon the gloss-surface as she ducked beneath the glow of Amun's torch. Frowning, she tucked the small mirror into her sash and began to furiously rake her fingers through her hair.

Amun turned the corner, following the night-passage to the Pharoah's slumber chamber. As if rethinking something, he paused and looked at the young girl once more. She grinned sheepishly and brushed a stray strand of ebony out of her face. "Perhaps you would like to awaken the Queen? She is more partial to your presence when she gets up, I believe?"

Nodding in agreement, Neferti doubled back past her room and to the large doorway beyond.

* * *

The yautja turned at the sound of approaching footsteps, instinctively training their weapons on the movement. A small form emerged from the darkness cradling a candle. Amazed at the lack of mass on the being's part, the hunters turned to their leader questioningly, hiding their weapons.

"They send a child to lead us around?" Hun'ett asked, clearly offended.

"She's fully grown," Du'gret growled in annoyance at his rival's unmasked distaste. He met his father's gaze and nodded at the question residing there. "Just barely, though." He added as an afterthought.

"She?" Ani'de inquired. "I thought the other one was male."

"It was." Du'gret grinned at the obvious confusion on his companions' faces. Grentou'se motioned for his son to explain the curious aspect of this particular species of prey while they walked. Ru'shan shook his head and glanced at the human female. She was watching all of them intently, looking at each speaker in turn.

"Nefteri."

The human looked up at the speaker of her name and smiled, bowing slightly.

"Lord Anubis."

Neferti waited for the gods to address her, taking in each towering form. She could no better understand their conversation than pronounce Anubis' real name. In all actuality, she could barely tell them apart. Two of the masks had deliberate markings on them, but the remaining five had none. She strained to remember if her friend had more of a greenish coloring, or a lighter, yellowier one.

Finally, the one who she had first assumed was Anubis took off his mask and said her name. She smiled up at the familiar face, bowed and addressed him.

"I am to lead you to the throne room, where the Pharaoh and the Queen are waiting."

Du'gret nodded and motioned for his clan to follow, stepping to the side so that his father could step in front.

"This is the one you first met?" Grentou'se cast a side-glance at his son. A nod was his answer.

"The females are...smaller?" Kat'rin pondered aloud, herself possessing a stance a full head taller than that of her comrades. It seemed she wasn't the only one curious about the subject. Ani'de, Gek'lete, and Sen'tre looked to Du'gret for a response. Hun'ette snorted in disinterest.

"Yes, it appears so." Du'gret answered, looking from Ru'shan to his father. Had they known that?

Ru'shan chuckled at the grunts of surprise and disbelief from the students.

Gek'lete eyed Neferti speculatively. "How...strange."

Sen'tre snorted. "Yeah. Where's the fun in such a thing?" He grinned at Kat'rin. She too was watching the petite feminine form, ignoring the comments of her male clan members.

Neferti led the gods to the throne room in silence, feeling vaguely uneasy that it was she they were discussing.

They entered the main throne room and Neferti turned to address the gods, "My gods, the Pharaoh should be here any momen…"

Neferti and the gods jumped as the side doors to the throne room burst open, revealing Pharaoh Seti, his wife Queen Tuya, and young Ramses.

_Hope you enjoyed! Please Review!_


	7. Gods, Legends, and Traditions

_Here's chapter seven! Hope you enjoy! Time to introduce the Predators to some… interesting human traditions in Ancient Egypt! Thanks for all of the reviews!_

**Chapter 7: Gods, Legends, and Traditions**

Beneath the flickering candlelight, casting butter tones upon the faces of the large chamber's occupants, Neferti smiled. With a gentle inclination of raven tresses she bestowed upon her Pharaoh the honor of hybrid deemed conversation. A bemused dialect of mortal and divine.

If one could call it that.

Human and deity alike silently sized each other up, presently ensnared in the shared wonder of which first encounters are entitled. Neither group appeared particularly assured of their position to speak first.

Neferti hitched an eyebrow, eyes downcast but alert_. Should she say something more? _She was certain the Pharaoh had assumed his position to speak was first and foremost above hers, as was beset his role. Timidly, she fixed her gaze upon him, nibbling her lower lip. Her eyes asked in substitution for her voice.

Having been quite taken with the daunting stature of his pantheon guests, King Seti had nearly forgotten his place as a Royal figure, not to mention announced go-between. Amidst the stillness within the chamber, he caught a small motion out of the corner of his eye. Letting his gaze drop momentarily, he saw that Tuya's handmaiden had raised her head slightly, eyes questioningly fixed upon his face. He smiled inwardly at his unbecoming silence and nodded curtly, shaking off a mounted store of hesitance in the process.

"My...Lords." King Seti broke the silence. Respectfully, he inquired, "To what do we owe this honor of unsurpassable barriers?"

Grentouse paused to let his mask process the human's voice, for once associating the babble with distinguishable words, rather than bestial jabber. To add to his growing store of amazement, the proper flutter-lacking fluidity of the voice was polite. Yet it also, in a unique way, seemed commanding of dignity all the same.

More than a little amused, the leader of the Yautja hunting party answered.

"It appears you have caught my son's interest, as well as mine and that of my clan." _By some rare occurrence and luck. Had Du'gret said they presumed him a 'God'? _

He felt the corners of his mouth twisting towards amusement as awaited the next chain of 'words' from his lithe host.

"We are honored by your presence, my lords." Queen Tuya spoke softly, a bracelet-bedecked arm across her chest, slender fingertips rapping softly against her collarbone. The corners of her long eyes upturned with abashed happiness or wonder.

Not being able to think of a suitable reply at once, Grentouse responded with a nod. There were those words again. My lords. How strange their reverence felt. These previous creatures of prey alone.

Ru'shan wondered at the small beings' regard of the clan. _What had distilled this reverence within them, that would issue such a title to his species? The larger size, perhaps_? Although somewhat similar in limb structure, there was nothing of sorts to be comparable in regards to their faces. Or physical prowess.

_Sentience?_ _Was the communicative property taken into deep consideration among this species? _There were many creatures in the universe that could vocalize their opinions. It didn't make them intelligent however. _Perhaps these humanoids possessed more likeness in the ways of mental capability?_

He witnessed another exchange of phrases between Grentouse and the regarded leader of the Oomans.

They would see.

* * *

The Oomans offered them rooms for the night, assuming that the "Gods" must be tried from their journey. The yautja agreed, not wanting to offend their hosts.

The room they were lead to was lavishly decorated and had large sleeping beds for each of them. The group was impressed; for all of the tales of how barbaric this species was, they didn't seem to be so.

The royal family left the Gods to their business, saying that servants would retrieve them at dawn.

As soon as the humans left, the Yautja burst out in excited chatter. Du'gret approached his father, "Interesting, aren't they?"

Grentouse could not deny his son's claim, "Indeed they are more… civilized than we had expected, but I must continue my observations, should I be able to judge them fairly."

Du'gret nodded and began to speak when Gek'lete shouted, "They even have a large bathing area in here!" Du'gret and Grentouse looked over to see a large pool of water; it seemed cool to the infra-red optics of the mask.

"Why don't you try it out," Hun'ette suggested, giving Gek'lete a shove, knocking him into the pool. The group laughed as Gek'lete surfaced sputtering and muttering curses. In anger, Gek'lete splashed the water, hoping to blast Hun'ett. Unfortunately, Hun'ett jumped out of the way, the wall of water instead hit Kat'rin who was lounging by the pool.

Hun'ette and Sen'tre burst out laughing and Gek'lete quickly moved out of range of the angry female. Kat'rin, turning on the two, grabbed them and threw them into the pool to join their retreating friend.

Du'gret smiled; Kat'rin was not one to put up with the antics of the other males. Ani'de looked at Du'gret and said, "Anubis? What sort of name is that?"

Du'gret shrugged, "They said it was the name of their god of the dead; perhaps when Neferti found me, she thought I died and came back to life. They will most likely give you names as well." Ani'de seemed excited at that notion. He glanced over to the tree males who were busy attacking each other in the pool.

"Do they have names for annoying, egotistical, idiots?" he asked.

Du'gret smiled and said, "Perhaps."

* * *

Neferti came at with the servants at dawn as she had promised.

Grentouse and Ru'shan were resting, Hun'ette and Sen'tre were sparring, unarmed, Kat'rin was sharpening her spear and Ani'de was coming over to investigate Neferti.

Gek'lete was still in the water, swimming for the fun of it. Neferti smiled and said, "I see we have Sobek among us." Du'gret tilted his head and Neferti added, "The god of the crocodiles and the Nile River must be pleased with the pool. We had it filled in case a god of water came with you." Du'gret made a note to tell Gek'lete his new "name".

Ani'de came over to Neferti and stared at her curiously. "This is my hunting companion, Ani'de. He had been anxious to meet you."

Neferti glanced between them and said, "Is this Horus?" Du'gret didn't know how to answer, but Neferti added, "Your cousin and comrade?" Although Du'gret and Ani'de were not related, he nodded.

Neferti glanced at the other Yautja, trying to figure out which god they were. Glancing at Hun'ett and Sen'tre she said, "What are they like?" She needed a hint to figure out who they were.

Gesturing to Hun'ette, Du'gret said, "He is the… risk taker. And he," pointing to Sen'tre, "is the smarter one. Surprisingly, they are good comrades."

Neferti smiled, figuring out who they were, "The risk taker is Khonsu, is he not? God of the moon, he always had a bit of a gambling problem. That is why the moon wanes." Ani'de laughed at Neferti's words; how true they were!

"The other is Thoth, god of wisdom, another god of the moon; he won the bets Khonsu placed and gained the moonlight Khonsu bet to add five days to our year; but you know that already." Du'gret and Ani'de looked at each other surprised. They guessed that they had just heard a tale of their gods.

Seeing their intrigue, Neferti said, "I could tell you of all the other legends we have about the gods; you could tell us if they are accurate." Suddenly, there was a loud yell and splash. It seemed Hun'ette had bothered Kat'rin again who promptly sent him flying into the water.

Neferti's eyes widened and she almost took a step back in fright, "Sekhmet," she murmured.

"What was that?" Du'gret asked.

"I see your female companion is Sekhmet, the goddess of war. I was not sure until now."

"And what is her tale?" Ani'de asked.

"When the humans went against the gods' laws, Sekhmet took the form of a lioness and hunted down all the wicked humans. Her counterpart is Hathor, the goddess of love, but it seems that she is staying as Sekhmet for the time being."

Du'gret and Ani'de gave each other looks of shock. Neferti just completely described Kat'rin personality. She could be kind and gentle, but it was not a wise idea to anger her; ever.

Kat'rin noticing the glances of the three decided to investigate the ooman female further. It seemed slightly nervous at her approach, but calmed considerably when she greeted her, putting her hand of the ooman's shoulder.

"Mi lady Sekhmet," the ooman said with a bow. Kat'rin glanced at Du'gret who just smiled and shrugged. Ani'de proceeded to tell Kat'rin her own legend and exactly what "gods" the others were. She even laughed when he told her about Hun'ette.

"You have no idea how correct you are," she told the ooman who smiled.

* * *

The yautja accepted a small tour of the palace and agreed to go out later and inspect the market. Hun'ette and Sen'tre said they were going to explore the palace more thoroughly, while the others watched the Pharaoh Seti try to teach Ramses the best way to handle a spear.

Ru'shan and Grentouse had each been given a name of a god. Ru'shan got the name Ra, mainly because his mask, instead of the usual silver/gray, was a golden color, reminding the Egyptians of their god of the sun. Grentouse receive the name Set, father of Anubis and god of warfare and chaos.

At the moment Ru'shan, seemingly enjoying himself, was try to correct Ramses posture so his strikes would be more controlled. And to Ramses delight, the god even told his father that his posture was not much better.

Suddenly, there came Yautja screams and Hun'ett and Sen'tre came running into the room frantically. All of the Yautja leapt to their feet brandishing their weapons.

Neferti seemed highly concerned, "My Lords, what happened?"

Hun'ett and Sen'tre however were behind everyone else and staring horrified at the door where two priests and a priestess stood, looking confused.

"Excuse me," Neferti said running out to the hall and talking to the three oomans. She seemed confused at first, then suspicious, then enraged.

"You tried to WHAT?!" she screamed at the priests who tried to explain their actions. After another angry scolding from Neferti, she turned back into the room, shutting the doors angrily.

"My Lords, you must accept our apology. Those _idiots," _she shouted the last word so the priests would hear it as they walked away, "did not know what they were doing."

"What did they do?" Du'gret asked, curious to know what had freaked the two Yautja out so badly.

"Well, a pet died; our cat. As cats are sacred to the goddess Bastet, their priestess and priests must shave their hair off in mourning. It seems your companions stumbled upon them and they assumed they wanted to take part in that particular ritual."

The whole room, with the exception of Hun'ett and Sen'tre, burst out laughing. Obviously, the priests had tried to lop the two students' dreadlocks off.

Once the laughter died down, Sen'tre asked, "What were they doing to the animal?"

"Oh," Neferti said, "They were mummifying it. Of course you would know all about that, where they take the organs out of the body, put them in jars, leaving the heart in the body of course, and drying it out with natron salt. However, I always found it fascinating how they removed the brain; you know, using the red hot poker, sticking it up the candidate's nose, swirling it around and ripping the brain out through the nostrils."

The Yautja were all about to be sick. _"That's one point against them,"_ Du'gret thought.

"Of course this process preserves the body for hundreds and thousands of years," Neferti added, "other wise the spirit would not make it to eternal paradise."

"_Well, at least it's a somewhat decent reason,"_ Du'gret thought, still feeling sick.

_Hope you liked it! Please Review and chapter 8 will be coming soon!_


	8. Challenge of the Divine

_(Drum Roll) Ta-da! Yes, like the ancient mummies of Egypt in those old corny Hollywood flicks, this story has seemingly come back from the dead! Then again, how could we ignore all of your wonderful death-threats? So, we put our heads together and here's your chapter! We hope you like it! Thank You all for the numerous reviews! We will try to update more!_

**Chapter 8: Challenge of the Divine**

Underneath the smoldering glare of the white hot sun, the city was actually quite lovely. Few strategically placed walls towering over the more fortunate stalls of the market cast desirable shade-pools where a small animal or child could be seen resting. The dirt of the beaten path between booths was a husky tan, which contrasted beautifully with the luscious colors of wares which sometimes teetered in stacks for display. And above each son-star drenched smiling face, the sky was cloudless and aqua.

The beautiful coloring itself would have brought a smile to your face.

If your vision was based on the spectrum of light, that is.

Du'gret squinted at the heated colorations of the faces staring in wonder and grinning at him, finding it difficult to read these creature's expressions. He could detect in their attempted good posture and sudden alertness the awe and respect directed towards his party, however. Even the smallest ones (how tiny they were!) reclining among the shadows or scampering around in play would practically stand at attention or pause, immobile at his approach.

Du'gret grinned. It wasn't half bad being a "God".

And from the chatter and laughter erupting continuously from his father and friends, he could tell he was not alone in his reverence for the notion. He returned his attention to their conversation, tuning out the noise from the booths.

Presently, Neferti was discussing something with Kat'rin, the others momentarily silenced in anticipation for more "Ooman enlightenment".

"Well, I suppose it's because we're gentler, more understanding…and great housekeepers!" Neferti looked up with a chuckle. She was thoroughly enjoying the interrogation.

Kat'rin looked down at the small, happy face of the female ooman. She was still curious as to why the females of this particular species let the males run the show, or what the attraction was, that the males would prefer such weak, soft-spoken counterparts for mating and raising their children.

"And the children require an immense amount of attention in matters that most men don't enjoy…"

"Such as the feeding, cleaning bit?"

"Exactly."

Kat'rin nodded mutely, piecing together the complicated relationship scraps of the species. Actually, the mother-children role was quite similar among the two cultures, certain unnecessary attachments excluded. But the delicate nature and physical makeup of the females was strange, alien. They were like children themselves, in stature. And they were expected to govern their offspring with such un-daunting demeanors?

"You also appear to mate for a lifetime." Ani'de commented. And how short that was….

"Yes. Mostly. Well, it is aimed for, eventually."

Du'gret grinned, catching her meaning. A little voice in the back of his mind was wondering aloud just how….interesting...it would be to explain this whole fiasco to the females back home. It certainly was a hunt like none other.

"My lords!"

The Yautja paused at the now-familiar title, glancing in the direction of the voice.

One of the vendors was hailing them from a booth not far to the right of the path. He grinned toothily at them, motioning with his hands at his stock. A slim, middle-aged woman stood beside him, prying her child's hand from her hair and smiling shyly while an older child drummed a twig of some sort at her feet.

The man raised a handful of fruit from the stall, and held it out to the approaching hunters.

"If it pleases you, my Gods, help yourselves to my wares. They are but mortalfood, but ripe and delicious ones at that."

Du'gret could smell the delicious, nectar smell of the fruit, enticing in the dry heat of the day. He smiled in return at the man and woman (although it was hidden behind his mask) and accepted the fruit. His comrades did the same.

The Yautja continued through the market, surprised at the hundreds of different items available. Hun'ette and Sen'tre had almost managed to purchase a large predator creature, a leopard Neferti called it, but luckily Grentou'se caught on to their antics before they could do something stupid.

"Ah, the stadium," Pharaoh Seti said with a smile as they approached a large oval stadium. "All the great races are there; would you wish to see one?" The Yautja agreed, not really knowing what these "races" were.

Ramses was struck with an idea. The Gods would probably be bored with a regular race, but what about one with them participating in it?

Walking up to Neferti, he whispered his request into her ear. There were races going on already and the racers would jump to give up their place so the Prince and one of their gods could race.

Neferti smiled and turned to speak to Anubis.

* * *

"My Lord?" she asked. Anubis focused his attention from the arena to Neferti.

"Yes?"

"Prince Ramses wonders if you would wish to partake in a race with him."

The Yautja were surprised and intrigued; Du'gret racing against the young Prince? It would be quite an interesting event. Plus, Du'gret would never lose any physical contest.

"Of course; I accept," Du'gret answered to Ramses who beamed.

* * *

As the Yautja were lead though a series of hallways and stairs inside the stadium, they had yet to glimpse the inside. The Pharaoh said they were being lead up to a higher section to watch the race.

"What is this…'chariot race'?" Grentou'se asked Du'gret. He was pretty sure he had an idea of what it was, but he wanted to see if his son knew what he had gotten himself into.

"I'm not quite sure, but if one of these oomans can do it, I think I can." Du'gret shrugged, "How hard could it be?"

They finally came to a landing and were lead through crimson curtains and the Yautja got their first look at the stadium center.

It was oval in shape, the raceway wrapping around a center made of pillars and statues of the gods, though they could still see over them to the track on the other side. The entire stadium was partially filled and filling, being the word had spread that Prince Ramses and the god Anubis were to race.

Currently, two racers were in their final laps. At one point, one must have hit a ditch of some sort causing the chariot to bounce and throw the driver roughly to the ground where he skidded to a halt, unmoving.

The Yautja all turned to look at Du'gret. It seemed his curiosity had gotten him into trouble again.

* * *

Du'gret was both excited and nervous about this "race". The chariots they were racing look excessively rickety to him, but he didn't mention anything; they may be the best they had. The stadium was still impressive from the ground floor the large statues and pillars in the middle colorfully decorated for the occasion. He noticed now there was a large wall, carved with designs like the rest of the place wrapped around the center to prevent any wreckage into the statues.

He was told that the race was to be twelve laps around the track. Du'gret hoped those twelve laps would be relatively uneventful.

There was even more of a problem with the fact that Du'gret had never raced before. Carefully watching the racers preceding them, he picked up on the basics quickly: snap the reigns to get the creatures to move, pull back to make them slow, and hold on.

The creatures themselves were large, strong beasts, graceful and powerful and the oomans had placed feather decorations upon them, the colors marking the rider.

Once he and the Prince Ramses II were set up for the race, Du'gret's heart began to pound as if he was ready for a hunt. He glanced at Ramses to see him removing many of his metal adornments, leaving mainly his loincloth, sandals, and golden arm bracelets on.

Du'gret glanced up at the crowd which already seemed to be in a frenzy, even though the race had yet to begin. The large ooman crowd cheered for both contestants, some chanting the young prince's name, the others were cheering for their god.

Suddenly, the Pharaoh stood and called for the race to begin. The crowd quickly quieted. Du'gret could see his father and the rest of the clan sitting beside the oomans. Ani'de gave a hand side for luck and Du'gret knew he'd need all he could get.

A thought stirred in Du'gret's head; should he seriously try to win, or allow the young prince to beat him? Losing was not something any Yautja enjoyed, but would beating the Leader's son disgrace the prince?

Before Du'gret could think any further, the Pharaoh raised his hands above his head and clapped, the noise echoing in the tense silence and drawing the crowd's attention back to the racers. With a loud shout, the race began.

* * *

Neferti watched from Queen Tuya's side as Anubis and Ramses started, both racing quickly out of starting area, the horses leaping and galloping as fast as possible, Anubis on the inside, Ramses on the outside.

Neferti knew exactly who she wanted to win, but she could tell the rest of the royal family was torn; they wanted their son to win, but would it be wise to not take the side of the god?

Neferti continued watching the race; knowing Ramses, he may have a few surprises for Anubis.

* * *

Du'gret kept a steady pace with Ramses, knowing the creatures pulling his chariot would be tiring less quickly because he was on the inside of the track. Surprisingly the chariot was much smoother than he thought it would be, with the occasional lurch from a bump.

"Lord Anubis!" Ramses called over to Du'gret. "I believe we desperately need to change the paintings and carvings of the gods, don't you!"

Du'gret smiled at the thought of a picture of himself and the clan being carved upon the walls of the ooman city. "Someday, yes!" Du'gret shouted back.

Ramses smiled mischievously at Du'gret. "Why not now!" Ramses shouted, pull the reigns of his horses causing them to turn, bringing his chariot around and running into Du'gret's and then knocking Du'gret's chariot into the wall. Sparks cascaded from the metal wheel scraping against stone.

Du'gret quickly pulled his chariot away from the wall and regained control of it. "You could have killed me!" he shouted both surprised and angrily at Ramses.

"You're a god, my lord! You are immortal!" Ramses shouted back. Du'gret blanched at those words. True, Yautja were more durable than oomans, but he could still get hurt if any metal stabbed through his heart.

"Besides, I thought the gods enjoyed a harder game!" Ramses added.

Du'gret glared at the young Prince. So this is a game, nothing more; a game where bending the rules was acceptable. Tightening his grip on the reigns, Du'gret called back to Ramses, "It is fun you wish? I shall grant it."

Pulling as he had seen Ramses do, Du'gret urged his chariot over to ram Ramses. However, Ramses had been expecting the god's retaliation and pulled back hard on the reigns slowing and causing Anubis to move past him and to the outside of the track.

Ramses was surprised as he now raced on the shorter inside side of the track; he would have thought Anubis would have seen this coming.

* * *

Grentou'se watched the race with much interest. He was proud his son was doing so well out of instinct.

His brows rose with surprise as the ooman prince rammed into Du'gret's own chariot. He could see his son turn to the ooman, most likely protesting cheating. Grentou'se had noticed the ramming incident seemed to be accepted among the oomans; acceptable it seemed.

He watched with surprise as Du'gret retaliated and was tricked into moving into the outer lane of the track. The ooman was a clever one indeed, predicting how his son would react and taking advantage of it.

Grentou'se leaned back in his seat and smiled; his son hated to be tricked and this was only the third lap. This was going to get interesting.

* * *

Du'gret cursed silently when he realized where his anger had got him. He was going to have to get in front of the prince if he was to win the race.

Du'gret tried to move past Ramses only to find that Ramses moved in front of him, no matter where he moved.

Suddenly, a hidden bump nearly jarred Du'gret from his chariot. The only thing that kept him on was his death grip on the reigns.

Glancing back, Du'gret had his mask zoom in on the bump. It was nearly invisible. Suddenly, an idea sprung into his head.

Continuing for three more laps, making sure he stayed behind Ramses, Du'gret memorized where the bump was exactly. It was about a fourth of the way into a lap, about in the middle of the track.

Du'gret quietly held out the next few laps staying contentedly behind Ramses. Then, during the final lap, Du'gret made his move.

Pretending to try and pass Ramses, Du'gret positioned himself perfectly with the bump, Ramses copying him exactly.

Du'gret smiled as Ramses' chariot jerked and shuddered as it hit the bump, slowing. Du'gret moved his chariot away from the bump, missing it and passing around Ramses.

Ramses, skilled at racing, was able to recover from the bump faster than Du'gret had. He just managed to catch up to Du'gret as the finish approached. The two riders urged their horses on trying to get ahead of the other.

The judge watched carefully as the two chariots raced across the finish. Even if he could have taken a photo and analyzed it down to the point, it would still show that Prince Ramses II and the Great God Anubis tied.

* * *

"That has been the biggest challenge I have ever had for so many years!" Prince Ramses exclaimed as he approached Du'gret who took a shaky step off of his chariot. Ramses bowed his head once he was in front of Du'gret, "Thank you for the privilege to race against you, My Lord." Looking around to make sure no one was listening, Ramses added in a whisper, "And my greater thanks to you for allowing me to tie you in the race."

Du'gret laughed and placed a clawed hand on Ramses's shoulder, "You were quite a challenge as well." _Really, _Du'gret thought. "You will make a great Pharaoh." Ramses positively beamed at the compliment.

Suddenly, the door to the track opened and the royal family and the Yautja exited, approaching the two racers.

Seti pulled his son into a hug and praised him for such a great race and against one of their gods!

Du'gret was also surrounded by his clan, each asking so many questions he had a hard time keeping track of them.

Grentou'se calmed the students and asked his son, "Did you let the ooman tie you, or did he equal you in the race fairly?"

Du'gret smiled and shrugged, "What do you believe?" he asked back. His father gave him a suspicious look, but let the topic fall.

"I can't believe that ooman hit you with its chariot!" Ani'de said, surprised.

"I'm surprised that I managed to hold on when he did," Du'gret answered. He continued to explain how he tricked Ramses into hitting the bump, which Ani'de laughed at.

Neferti approached Anubis and bowed, "Congratulations my Lord for the race. It was one of the most exciting I've seen."

Anubis touched her shoulder and smiled. Neferti was about to continue when she noticed something odd, "My Lord! You are bleeding!"

Du'gret glanced at his forearm to see a small wound bleeding. It was not much, but it stood out significantly to the oomans.

Their gods were all powerful and immortal; they could not bleed.

_Cliffhanger… I'm so good at those! We hoped you liked it! Please review!_


	9. To Anger the Gods

_Here's chapter 9! A more exciting chapter I must say. We thank you for all of the reviews and hope you enjoy this chapter!_

**Chapter 9: To Anger the Gods**

The Yautja were at a loss for words. They knew that they had made the inevitable mistake. Now what to do?

Du'gret glanced around seeing the confused and grim faces of his fellows. The game was up.

Du'gret took a breath to explain to the oomans that they were not their gods when Ani'de interrupted him.

"We bleed because we are mortal!" The clan turned and stared at the young Yautja, unsure of where he was taking this, "Should we have taken our immortal forms among you, it would have caused disastrous results. We took these mortal forms to prevent anything from happening to our… subjects."

The oomans paused for a moment, then they bowed their heads, "Of coarse, we understand, my lords," Neferti said, "please to not misjudge us for our lack of faith."

The whole group of Yautja sighed in relief. Ani'de and his quick thinking saved a potentially disastrous situation. Du'gret knew that his father would reward Ani'de greatly for this.

The Yautja were then led out of the stadium. The young prince Ramses approached Du'gret with his head down.

"My lord, forgive me."

Du'gret tilted his head, confused, "Forgive you for what?"

"Had I been smart enough to realize that you were in a mortal guise, I would not have committed the dangerous actions I had out upon the race track. I now understand you anger at the time."

Du'gret placed his hand on Ramses' shoulder, "There is no forgiveness needed. The race was a good one; I had lost my temper and tried to ram you back if you have not forgotten. And I _knew_ that you were mortal at the time." Ramses smiled and his mood seemed to pick up.

"Great Pharaoh Seti! Pharaoh Seti!"

A merchant ran towards the group, shouting Seti's name. Coming to the Pharaoh's feet, the merchant kneeled and spoke, "Great Pharaoh! There is trouble!"

"What is it?" Seti asked, surprised at the merchant's urgent tone.

"A raid great king! The Hittites from across the sea attack!"

* * *

The Yautja were taken aback when they heard the unfamiliar human's words. A battle? Between humans? This should be interesting.

"My Lords," the leader Seti spoke, "I must go and assist my army. My queen Tuya and Neferti will lead you back to the palace. Ramses, come with me." With that, the Pharaoh pulled out his sword and ran off in the direction the merchant told him.

"Leader," Du'gret whispered to his father, "should we assist them?" Grentou'se seemed unsure at first so Du'gret pressed, "We could see their skills in battle. Also we could hunt the humans that have invaded, rather than these."

Grentou'se considered Du'gret's words. Maybe assisting these humans would be a good idea; they would be able to hunt without giving their true identities to the humans they stayed with. Grentou'se nodded and began to lead the group after The Pharaoh and prince.

"Neferti," Du'gret spoke, "We are going to assist you king and prince in the coming battle. Stay with your queen and get to a safe place."

Neferti nodded, taking Queen Tuya's hand and leading her away. Du'gret turned and ran with his clan towards the battle.

The Hunt was on.

* * *

Grentou'se felt his smile broaden behind the glinting alloy of his mask, quite pleased with the current sway of things.

There were so many of them. Thousands, like dark, moving grains of desert sand and dust blown across the landscape.

Literally. There movements were slow, drawling, clusters of muck. Swarming over the barren ground. Now they were perhaps a few yards from the army of Seti, ready to collide savagely. Their weapons shot sun-glints at their foes' eyes. Body temperatures were pinnacles of vivid reds and yellows.

The leader of the yautja hunting party watched the ooman king, who had so cluelessly assumed the role of host to his people's "gods". He could be seen clearly amongst his own men, adorned as befit his title.

His stance alone would have sufficed.

What? A deep gurgle echoed in the Predator's throat, a snit of a chuckle. Was that a tint of respect directed at the primitive creature?

Pharaoh Seti's shouts echoed across his ranks.

* * *

"Father, do we join the battle?"

Grentou'se returned his attention to his son with a snort. He let his gaze roam over his party, making a note of their body language. Not one of them looked upset with the concept of brawling. His perception was that of the opposite spectrum, actually.

He shot his age-comrade a questioning look.

Ru'shan shrugged in pretense nonchalance. It was his silent way of asking "suggesting something oddball again, are you?"

The two elders chuckled, and the students gave each other knowing looks.

This was going to be fun.

* * *

Du'gret lopped off the head of another of the invaders, watching the fine, long hair become riddled with the sand and blood that already pooled beneath his feet. There was really no use in trying to snag all of his trophies. There seemed to be an endless mass of these short brutes, a supply undaunted despite the duration of the battle thus far.

Not that I mind, the young yautja mused, watching many of the intruders back away at the sight of him.

Gek'lete spun holding his spear and, like some lethal ballerina, diced over a dozen humans that either got too close, or could not get out of the way fast enough. With a victorious laugh, he finished the spin, "Now, that would be well over a few dozen kills for myself!"

"Only, a few dozen?" Du'gret asked, easily parrying a blunt strike from a human with a badly made sword.

"I lost count over an hour ago", Ani'de laughed in his friend's ear. He swung his spear around full-circle, half-heartedly. More bodies fell to the littered dirt, leaving a bloody arc around him.

"Are they trying at all?" Ani'de made a sweeping gesture at the men fumbling away from them in a hurry.

"Ha! Sadly, I think so."

Du'gret and Ani'de looked over at Hun'ette and laughed. He was swinging an ooman around by the legs, laughing loudly. He let go, sending the frightened creature flying into a wall of lookie-loo Hittites, too frightened to move.

Sen'tre ducked as the wailing creature sailed over his head and shot Hun'ette an amused glare. Without turning, the wiser of the two comrades flung a razor-edged discus into the crowd, decapitating the lot of them.

He caught the sleek weapon in a fluid motion and bent to pull one of the Pharaoh's men to his feet.

"Oh, that's impressive! Imagine it killing them all. It's not like it was sharp or anything." Hun'ette made a pretend angry gesture at his friend, and proceeded to engage the enemy with his bare hands.

Sen'tre chuckled and pushed the young human he had just helped up out of the way of a swinging club. He elbowed the attacking human in the face and turned to Hun'ette.

"Who's showing off? You're just more likely to get killed, is all."

"By these puny things? I was taller even before puberty."

"And you're still short. How sad, Hun'ette." Kat'rin smirked. She let a carcass slide off her wrist blades to his right.

Hun'ette made a dismissive sound, although it was in good humor.

Sen'tre started to speak, "Perhaps, then we…"

Shk..

Shk.

* * *

Grentou'se turned at the unfamiliar clang of his planet's alloy colliding with the dirt. A loud cry from Hun'ette filled his ears, and before he even turned around, fear shone in his eyes.

No.

That wasn't possible.

These creatures were inferior in all aspects!

Yet, he knew what had taken place before he witnessed it, visually. Before he saw the prone form being lifted into the other student's arms; before he watched the backing away of the primitives, and the loud cry pierced the air.

There were two of them.

The shafts protruded from the student's back, one piercing his heart, neon blood oozing around their circumference and trickling down his back, onto Hun'ette's arms.

With a bellow, the grieving student wrenched them from their place, arms braced against the wounds to prevent more of the liquid from being lost. He called his friend's name repeatedly.

There was no answer.

And never would be again.

Du'gret looked up at his father, utter loss and surprise hidden behind his mask. Kat'rin, An'ide, and Gek'lete merely stared at shock at their fallen companion they had been sharing laughs with only moments before.

Without a word, Grentou'se raised his gaze from his kneeling son, beside the fallen Sen'tre and his grieving companion. He looked over the mass of oomans, invaders and natives alike frozen around the fallen warrior.

The slightest murmur of a cheer rose from a section of the crowd, a man with a primitive bow raised his arms in triumph. He let out a loud shriek of victory.

His head was rolling past his feet before he finished.

Ru'shan retracted his wrist blades rapidly, and kicked the headless body into the crowd. He turned to his old friend, eyes raised angrily across the battlefield. They spoke a silent accusation.

Grentou'se nodded curtly, and bellowed a command to his hunting party.

The soft meat had committed the ultimate crime. They had killed one of the yautja hunters, dishonorably, by using an advanced, projectile weapon and cowardly attacking from behind while the Yautja used only close combat weapons and gave warning to their prey.

This fight was no longer for their primitive hosts.

It was for their friend.

And there would be revenge.

_Looks like somebody's in major league trouble! Well, we'll try to update soon again and please review! More reviews, faster the update!_


	10. Honor and a Choice

_Here's another chapter by Amouthea and me! Hope you like it! Thanks for all of the reviews!_

**Chapter 10: Honor and a Choice**

Pharaoh Seti rallied his forces after the few remaining Hittites retreated to the desert, undoubtedly to where their camp was. Pharaoh Seti acknowledged his army with pride, but knew this battle was merely a test to see how powerful the Egyptian army really was.

The Hittites would come in much greater numbers now.

Seti commanded two of his best warriors to track the fleeing Hittites, find their base, and return with a report of the opposition's strength. From the size of the test force they had sent in, it didn't look good.

Seti turned to his son who approached with a smile, holding a cloth to his arm.

"You have been injured?" Seti asked, pulling Ramses closer to examine the wound.

"Only a scratch," Ramses answered with a shrug, "they had archers, not many, but enough. Their arrows are tipped in a new metal; I do not know what it is."

Seti cursed. Archers could be quite a challenge though the Egyptians had many of their own. But with newer armored tips, they could easily penetrate the weak armor that the Egyptians gave their lesser infantry.

"But father, you should have seen our gods! They fought with such skill that no warrior of ours could match. Their weapons seemed unbreakable and their speed was that of the _Urarus's _strike! I have never seen such combat in all my life…"

Seti smiled and gave a quick mental prayer to the gods for their assistance, but was interrupped when Ramses screamed, "_What_?"

Seti looked at his son in surprise and glanced at Rashem, his general. Seti recoiled at the look of despair and horror on Rashem's face.

"My Lord… the wise Thoth has left us to Duat. He has been killed…"

* * *

Du'gret sat in the quarters the humans had provided for his clan, thinking of nothing but the death of his comrade. It seemed surreal… this was one of his first true hunts, and the first where they had lost a member. Sen'tre had been the smartest of them all, yet he was killed so quickly. For a moment, Du'gret felt the faintest feeling of regret.

"_Stop this!"_ he scolded himself mentally; _"This is no way to honor Sen'tre's death!"_ Sen'tre had fallen in battle, honorably. This was one of the greatest ways to meet the Black Warrior; laughing as your enemies fell around you, their lifeblood staining your weapon, the feeling of the Hunt churning within your veins. Regretting the loss would only diminish the honor the deceased had received.

Du'gret and the others looked up sharply as his father and Ru'shan entered the room; they had taken Sen'tre's body; where they had placed it, Du'gret was not sure.

At his father's beckoning, the clan stood and left the room, unsure of exactly what their leader had planned.

* * *

The clan watched mutely as their leader paced silently back and forth throughout the vast chamber for a few terse moments. None dared to speak. Out of reverence for their fallen comrade or fear of angering Grentou'se further than he appeared to be was anyone's guess. Du'gret mildly recognized the room as the entrance hall for the human fortress. He could tell a sober topic was soon to be discussed; his father was more then likely thinking of the best way to word the subject.

All eyes were on the large form when it abruptly halted and faced them with a click of talons against the floor. Grentou'se eyed them severely before casting a glance out the window and issuing a loud sigh.

"We must leave immediately."

"WHAT!"

Du'gret wasn't surprised he hadn't been alone in his vocalization. He halted his personal argument for the moment as Hun'ette stepped forward. His head was bowed to show that he meant his leader no disrespect, but behind his visor, his eyes blazed in fury.

"Leader, we cannot just leave. We must avenge …..death! The dishonorable oomans must pay!"

"They ALL must pay. These creatures deserve nothing better than to litter the ground. They are not even worthy of being thought of as trophies…" Gek'lete fumed.

Ani'de shot him a derisive look. "The invaders, you mean. Our hosts were not at fault."

Gek'lete shrugged. It made no difference if they all were killed in his book.

Grentou'se watched his students, listening to their arguments in turn. Du'gret could see by his stance that his decision had not been wavered in the least, however.

"Father…" he began, pausing for the namesake to look at him. "We cannot leave at this time. We all heard that what we took part in was only a mock-battle. A mere calculating measure on the invaders' part. They will return with an even greater force."

"That is no longer, and never should have been, of concern to us."

Du'gret didn't bother hiding his surprise or disappointment.

"You forget their role as hosts to us? They treated us like gods!"

"That was their own foolish mistake."

"How can you disown that element completely! They acted honorably."

"Only as a primitive would. They do not possess true honor. The invaders proved that."

"These ones are different!"

"They are all the same!"

Grentou'se knew full-well that his son had to check his anger after that comment. The young warrior had developed some sort of attachment to the oomans that dwelled within this city. He did not know whether to be angry or proud of his son's dissension to understand the alien civilization.

Du'gret glowered at his father. "We cannot just let them be overrun by those who attack without honor."

Ru'shan cut in before Grentou'se could answer.

"And what would you have us do? Fight their battle for them? That would prove nothing of their own honor. They would be cowards to rely on us."

Du'gret looked at Ru'shan evenly. "They did not ask for our help. Ever."

"These oomans did offer…aid to one of us without expecting anything in return." Kat'rin stepped forward. She knew her point was valid and could not be argued. Despite her initial distaste of the small creatures, she had grown to admire them.

Grentou'se nodded at her, and raised a hand to silence Du'gret's next comment.

"They had done us a great favor. And we have not hunted one of their brethren. I think for that we are even."

He glanced at his party once more.

"We have no favor to return any longer. These oomans will remain un-hunted for their hospitality. But we will leave."

He walked over and placed a hand on Hun'ette's shoulder. "Sen'tre's death was a folly of my own, for I let us participate in something we should not have. Let us honor his death and think no longer of childish ideas."

Hun'ette looked up abruptly, but Grentou'se shook his head. "Sen'tre's killer was slain on the battlefield. And that is where our involvement ends."

Out of the corner of his visor, the leader of the clan could see his son's shoulders sag with disappointment. But he admirably disputed the matter no further. With pride, Grentou'se stalked towards the entrance of the structure.

When he was halted by a cry of both fury and despair.

All of the hunting party turned at the sound reverberating from deep within the palace's walls.

Without a word, Du'gret turned and sprinted in the direction of the cry, and Grentou'se found himself too curious to reprimand his students as they followed suit. He shot Ru'shan an inquisitive glance and the latter shrugged.

"Only one way to find out…"

* * *

"What do you mean?" Pharaoh Seti roared in rage and grief, grabbing the remaining guard by the throat and shoving him into one of the decorated columns of his private quarters.

"The secondary attack was a distraction. The guards that were left here were slain…" the guard began only to gasp and choke for air as Seti's grip around his neck tighten, the adrenalin in the Pharaoh's system boosting his strength.

"You left them alone with only two guards! What was running through your minds! Did you not know what the greatest prize would be for the Hittites? One they could easily steal if not protected? You have seen what they do, the unimaginable tortures they commit, yet you did not exercise the proper caution!"

At that moment the Yautja burst into the room, taking in the scene. Although the entire clan's attention was locked on the Pharaoh strangling his guard, Du'gret noticed that something was wrong; very wrong.

The room they stood in was a mess. Tables over turned, vases shattered, along with other random objects littering the floor. The oomans had always tended to be orderly and neat; this was definitely not right.

Also, Prince Ramses stood a few steps behind his father, his face nearly drained of blood and his heart pounding loudly within his chest. Du'gret knew something had happened.

The Pharaoh paid no attention to the fact his gods had entered the room; if anything, he merely continued his ranting.

"Do you not know what your main goal is as a royal guard! Were you not taught it the first day of your training!"

"Yes…" the guard managed to choke out. At a small shake from the Pharaoh the guard continued.

"To protect the Pharaoh and the royal family." At that statement Du'gret felt his heart stop. Immediately he though of Neferti. What had happened to her?

Du'gret's questions were answered when the Pharaoh lowered his head and spoke in a whisper, "Yet, you allowed my wife and her handmaiden to be captured by our enemies, leading most certainly to their deaths…"

* * *

The fight was on again. Du'gret had originally planned to leave with his father, being the obedient student he was trained to be. But now, it was personal.

"We have to help them," he pleaded, desperately searching for some way to convince his father to stay. The rest of the students voiced their unanimous agreement. Even Ru'shan seemed to reconsider their course. Grentou'se, however, remained solid in his decision.

"You may have developed a fondness for the female human, but I am not going to risk the lives of the others for her."

"We would risk our own lives; you would not force us," Ani'de answered, along with nods from the others.

"That is not your decision," Grentou'se answered coldly, silencing the student.

"If we do not aid her, we sentence her to death," Du'gret argued his voice rising in his anger. Why could his father not see the importance of this?

"So be it. Her death is regrettable, but it is not our responsibility."

"It is mine. She saved my life, I owe her the same."

Grentou'se growled agitated, "You own nothing to that dishonorable creature."

Du'gret's mandibles flared slightly in anger, "She is not a dishonorable animal. She is an honorable, sentient being, and I am going after her."

Grentou'se's head pulled back in surprise, but he countered quickly, his anger matching Du'gret's, "If you disobey my order you will be stripped of any and all of your rank and you will be exiled from the clan." The clan stared in shock at Grentou'se. Such a threat was only reserved for great offences; Du'gret was treading on thin ice… and it was melting.

Grentou'se, feeling he won the argument, turned, only to hear Du'gret snarl, "Your order seems to make no sense anymore, for obeying it would dishonorable in itself."

Grentou'se had had enough. The Leader spun and backhanded Du'gret with enough power to send Du'gret through the air to land in a heap on the floor.

"You forget your place boy! Do not presume to challenge me for I will see you dead should you speak to me in that way ever again!" With that, Grentou'se turned a furious glare on the others who wisely adverted their eyes. They were not about to challenge their Leader.

Seeing no other competition, Grentou'se stalked away, knowing that his clan would follow.

* * *

Ani'de held his hand out to Du'gret who gratefully took to. A small cut above his eye bled slightly; Du'gret wiped away the blood angrily.

As they left the outskirts of the ooman city, Du'gret felt his heart sink lower. Neferti was going to die and there was nothing he could do about it. He could go after her, but then would be banished from his clan. Then where would he go? Become a Bad Blood? Du'gret shuddered at the thought; he would sooner die.

Then he thought of the oomans. They had accepted him into their city and home and seemed to expect him to stay for a while… would he find a home there?

No… a Yautja warrior's life was among his clan, not among an alien race. Yet Du'gret could hear the Pharaoh's words echo in his mind like a never ending wind, _"You have seen what they do, the unimaginable tortures they commit…"_

Du'gret stopped among the sand dunes. Torture was no death any creature deserved, especially a young female…

With that though Du'gret turned and slowly crept backwards, away from his clan and back towards the ooman city. He did not care of his father's orders, not anymore. He was going to help the oomans. The only ones Du'gret felt could judge him were the gods, and they smiled down on one with honorable actions.

He had always been a rule bender anyway; he could only hope that this time, they didn't break.

_We hope you guys liked it! Please review and we'll get another chapter up soon!_


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